Strategic Fund Supporters:

Anonymous

Dan and Wendy Batchelor

Dick and Lori Bauer

In Honor of Joslynn Bauer

Giles and Anne Brereton

Ed and Laura Brown

The Chivukula/Simmins Family

Cook Farms

Dr. Dele and Arike Davies

Barry Goetz and Louise Jezierski

Graff Chevrolet - Okemos

The Hadlock Family

Dave and Patty Hagan

Doug and Christi Hinterman

Irene Kay Hodge

In Memory of Donald H. Huldin

Lee and Martha Kliebert

Kumon Learning Center

David and Sally Langley

Joan Look

Clark and Kathleen Manning

Fran Manning

Mayberry Homes

Marie Miller

Minesh and Hina Mody

George and LaWayne Napoles

OHS 6th Hour AP Government Class

Clark and Arlene Radcliffe

Tomie Raines Inc. Realtors

Bidhan and Prasanna Redey

The Rycus Family and Rycus Flooring

Eric and Mary Schnepf

Dr. Aajay Shah, MD

Brad and Esther Shaw

JoAnn Steele

Don and Ann Stormzand

Liz Troldahl

Robert & Tiffany Tuchek

Michael and JoAnn Warren

Richard and Annette Weiser

Michael and Tracey Wellman

Dr. Kristine West and Dr. Don Burkhardt

E. Kathleen Weyers

Steve and Marna Wilson

OPS Support Groups

The pain of the little finger is felt by the whole body.
- Filipino Proverb

Okemos Public Schools is enriched by many dedicated support groups for athletics, music, the arts, gifted and talented, and more... and they all need your help, too. We encourage you to find out more information about these groups HERE.

The School Funding Challenge

Every one of the 550 public school districts in Michigan is in the middle of a state-wide public school funding crisis.

Proposal A, enacted into law in 1994, shifted primary funding of schools from local property taxes to a state-allocated annual grant, based on the number of students enrolled in each school district. In good economic times, the state was able to increase the size of this grant each year. But in the current economic downturn, the state has actually reduced the annual allocation, and is warning that it will make additional cuts next year.
The state and federal government have imposed unfunded mandates on school districts and transferred financial obligations from the state to local level.
Changing demographics in Okemos have caused our annual school enrolment to trend downward, resulting in less money from the state.
State law prohibits school districts from raising additional money by increasing property taxes or issuing bonds, expect for very limited purposes, essentially buildings and repairs, technology, and school buses.

The Okemos school district has been forced to cut nearly $8.5 million from its annual operating budgets over the past 8 years and to draw down its Fund Balance (similar to a family’s “rainy day fund”) by another $1.6 million.

The district has:

Closed schools and reconfigured others to reduce costs while maintaining optimal class sizes and student / teacher ratios.
Reduced or eliminated reading consultants, science coordinators, counselors, secretaries, computer and media center coordinators, assistant coaches, and student supervisors.
Postponed, reduced or cancelled purchases of textbooks, library books, audio-visual materials and classroom supplies.
Reduced electives, cut funding for many after-school clubs and extracurricular activities, and increased sports participation fees.

This coming school year, even deeper cuts will have to be made.

Facing a $3.2 million shortfall in the 2010 – 2011 school year, the district is considering:

Eliminating additional administrators, counselors, library specialists, reading specialists, secretaries and other district-wide personnel;
Reducing or eliminating funding for middle school and high school athletics;
Reducing Transportation;
Outsourcing custodial positions

Since we’re not willing to let Michigan’s budget problems put our children’s future at risk, the Okemos Education Foundation has created a Strategic Fund to protect and restore essential learning opportunities.